The Host Club Is Now Open For Business!
by Crow-Shaped Clouds
Summary: Tamaki, the "most elite member" of the Host Club wants Haruhi to like him, but it's harder than what commercials make it out to be. Meanwhile, the Host Club is having trouble keeping themselves open. In order to save it, they need romance between members, so they are all counting on Tamaki to win the love of Haruhi and save the Host Club!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**I am really sorry to those who have viewed my first story. It was not meant to be like that. I think the file had corrupted. I had one whole chapter completed but for some reason it didn't post. Again I'm very sorry for those who saw that "amazing" story. I have now come to dislike the letter "r". Hopefully this story posts, and doesn't have the letter "w" or something like that. I hope you enjoy this next story.**

Tamaki clapped his hands twice, gathering the attention of the six other hosts.

"Gentlemen, the theme of today's welcome is…" Tamaki's voice began to fade. Kyoya glanced at him through wire-rimmed glasses.

"You don't know, do you?" Only it was more a statement than a question. Tamaki glared at him, but Kyoya didn't look up from his notebook. Seeing that that didn't work, Tamaki tried a different approach.

"Being the host club's most elite member," He began. "I don't have the time to decide little things like our theme. I am beautiful all the same."

"Beautifully annoying," Haruhi grumbled at him. "And our theme is too important!" She stated.

"That is quite true," Kyoya agreed but by then, Tamaki had moved on to less important matters.

"Haruhi! You're so cute when you're mad!" Tamaki rushed over and scooped her up in a big bear hug.

"Let…..go…..of…...me." Having to learn to cope with these things had been hard enough for Haruhi, and being a "commoner" as Tamaki put it had made it even harder.

Managing to slip out of his grip, Haruhi took in a breath to speak but was almost immediately interrupted by Kyoya, who had amazingly switched from notebook to computer in record time without being noticed.

"If we don't get a theme soon, our guests will start wondering if our host club has been forcefully shut down by the school."

"We're going to shut down the host club?!" Honey-senpai exclaimed, nearly spitting out the cake he was eating. His eyes suddenly filled with tears. "We can't shut down the host club!"

"No." Mori-senpai said quietly. "We aren't going to." Then he gave Tamaki such a dirty glare that the "most elite member" had to look away.

Gulping, Tamaki finally decided on a theme. "We," He said. "Are going to be from the Middle Ages. Knights to be exact."

"Yay!" Honey shouted with glee. "I want to rescue the princesses!"

"Yes, rescue the princesses," Mori-senpai agreed.

"Then it's settled," Tamaki clapped his hands once. "We will be the gallant knights that will rescue the beautiful princesses." Then his gaze scanned the room until he saw the twins. "Hikaru! Kaoru! I want you two to go out and buy some commoner instant coffee."

"Yes sir!" They said in unison. Then they saluted and rushed out the door.

"Good. Honey-senpai! Mori-senpia! Fetch the costumes from the theater club. They were put there for safe-keeping."

"Yes sir!"

"Haruhi! Kyoya! Umm….stay put! The costumes will be here in a few minutes!" Tamaki paused. "Aren't I forgetting someone? Hmmm. Who could that person be…."

"Yourself, maybe?" Haruhi said in a sarcastic wondering tone.

"Oh, that's right! Thank you, Haruhi!" Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"It's no big deal. Anyone could've told you." She replied. "It's not like I was the only one who noticed-" But she was cut off by Tamaki who clapped his hands again.

"Who noticed how handsomely clueless I am? What a nice thing to say!" With that he grabbed Haruhi into another big bear hug, but this time Haruhi didn't bother to try to escape his grip. _Tamaki is such a big idiot!_


	2. Chapter 2

Haruhi's eyes widened.

"Those are some pretty cool costumes, I must admit," She told Hikaru and Kaoru. They looked over at her from the costume rack.

"We didn't buy them," Hikaru said.

"Thank our parents. They make almost all the costumes used in theatre club," Kaoru told her. "Aren't they good?"

"Most impressive," Kyoya agreed. "You have quite the parents to be as kind as to make our costumes." He glanced up and saw Tamaki, Mori, and Honey putting their 'master's eye' on the costumes.

"Hmm…." Tamaki said thoughtfully as he looked over the incredible works of art. "They'll do very nicely." His gaze turned over to Hikaru and Kaoru. "Tell your parents that I approve." Hikaru looked over to Kaoru.

"Maybe we should just tell them that Tamaki and all of us like them," Hikaru suggested. Tamaki began to turn red.

"Yeah, that's a better idea," Kaoru agreed.

"Is my approval not enough for you two stuck-up creeps?!" He yelled at them. Haruhi looked disapprovingly at Tamaki.

"I think_ you_ are the stuck-up creep here," she said, but Kyoya apparently disagreed.

"I don't think Tamaki would qualify as a 'stuck up creep' as you so rudely put it. He is merely the chairman's son. That wouldn't make him stuck-up, or a creep," he explained.

"WHY ARE WE ARGUING OVER WHETHER I'M A STUCK-UP CREEP OR NOT?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"We were discussing, not arguing," Kyoya didn't look up from his notebook.

"I think we're more like perverts than stuck-up creeps," Hikaru told Kaoru.

"Yeah. We'll leave the stuck-up creep act to Tamaki," Kaoru said mockingly. Suddenly a grin spread across Tamaki's handsome face.

"You two just admitted it! _I'm_ not the pervert, you twoare!" He proclaimed. He began to leap from foot to foot in some sort of victory dance. "Yay! Yay! Yay!" Kyoya shook his head disapprovingly.

"Why don't we get on our costumes and invite in our guests? They're probably waiting. outside right now. We want guests, do we not?" He paused. "Haruhi, I want you to pass out costumes when people need them."

"Why do I have to do it?" She complained, but realizing she had no other choice, she pulled the rack over to her. "Who wants their costume?"

"We do," Hikaru and Kaoru said.

"I do!" Honey exclaimed.

"Me too," Mori agreed.

"I'll take mine," Kyoya didn't look up.

"And I, the handsome Tamaki, would like to receive his costume humbly from the lowly but beautiful servant, Haruhi, and-"

"I get it," Haruhi interrupted. "You want your costume." Tamaki grumbled but had to agree.

In a few hours, everyone was dressed.

"Let in the guests," Kyoya said. "We are ready."And, in perfect sync, the twins pulled open the golden doors.


	3. Chapter 3

"My princess, I humbly bow before you, as you are higher in class and I am a humble knight," Tamaki said his galant sentence then drew himself up. He looked as handsome as ever in his polished armour and chainmail. Adding to his handsomeness was the rose and crown coat-of-arms hand-sewn onto his velvet robe. His helmet was polished so well it looked as shiny as polished diamonds and fit perfectly. He paused. "Your Highness, I ask for your hand in marriage, so we can live happily together in a castle." The girl he was talking to looked flustered.

"I…..I don't know what to say!" She was so happy. Tamaki smiled his trade-mark smile and bowed.

"You must say yes, of course," he crooned to her. Her eyes widened and then she fainted right there on the couch. All the girls around him screamed with love. "Me next!" They shouted. "Me! Me! Me!" Tamaki looked at them all.

"Now, now, ladies. Settle down. I am a humble knight, not a prince. Would you prefer a prince over me?" There were shouts saying "No! No! No!" One girl screamed, "You're the most handsome person in the world!" Tamaki began to quiet them all again.

"He's quite the charmer, isn't he?" Haruhi asked Kyoya.

"Yes, he seems to be," he looked over at her. "You aren't falling for him, are you?" Haruhi looked shocked.

"No way!" She exclaimed. "I'd never fall for him! He's a dimwit!" Kyoya clucked his tongue and shook his head.

"I'm bewildered that you don't see the true beauty of Tamaki," he told her. As he looked back at his notebook, Haruhi was glancing over her shoulder at Tamaki. She shook her head.

"True beauty! Ha!" she laughed, but seeing Kyoya's face made her think differently."I...I better get going. I have fans waiting for me." She added as an afterthought. With that she walked stiffly to her seat. As she sat down, Haruhi wondered what Kyoya meant by "true beauty". She shrugged the topic out of her mind and tried to focus all her attention on the guests.

"Wow! You look so handsome Haruhi!" One of the girls on the couch told her.

"Wait, handso- oh, yeah. Thanks." She blushed. That was a close one, she thought. It seemed like every time she talked to any of the other hosts, she forgot that she was supposed to be a boy. The girls on the couch didn't seem to notice her slip-up. Instead, they were going crazy over how cute she looked when she blushed.

"Your so cute, Haruhi!" One shouted.

"Yeah!" Another agreed. Haruhi looked at them and took in a quiet breath. How am I so lucky? She asked herself. How do I look so much like a boy? How do I-

"Are you going to join the others on the sofa?" Kyoya interrupted her thoughts.

"Wha!-oh, sure," she agreed, but in her head she was thinking how rude Kyoya had been earlier.

Approaching the couch, she saw that Tamaki was missing. The others were talking to a huge crowd that was cramming themselves onto the couch opposite the Host Club's, which they were all sitting on comfortably. Haruhi stifled a giggle at a nearby girl who was being crammed into a most definite uncomfortable position as she tried to climb over the couch. None of the girls were at a stable position by the time Haruhi sat down, and they kept arguing until Kyoya stood up and clapped his hands once together.

"Ladies, ladies, settle down, settle down." As the girls began to quiet themselves he let out a ghost of a smile that Haruhi was positive was there. The girls were very quiet, waiting for Kyoya to speak, but as soon as he had opened his mouth, the girl Haruhi had been watching squeezed through to the table and interrupted.

"Where's Tamaki?" she asked, though it was more of a demand than anything else. Kyoya looked momentarily shocked at the prospect of being interrupted, then allowed himself a small smile.

"He is busy at the moment," he replied in a dangerously quiet voice that made the girl quiet down. "Anyway, I have gathered you all here today to witness the 'amazing'-" he said in a sarcastic-almost bored voice- "talent of two of our members, Hitachiin twins." He groaned quietly as the girls screamed in pleasure.

"Wow," Haruhi exclaimed to Honey. "What are they going to be doing?" Honey shrugged.

"Anything," he answered. "They do different stuff all the time. Maybe they'll be doing matchups," he added as an afterthought. A look of a puzzlement crossed over Haruhi's face

"What are 'match-'"

"This year we will be doing a matchup relay on the grounds," Kyoya announced. "If you would like to participate, please meet me on the grounds at 12:00 sharp. Anyone who does not come or is late will have to watch in the stands. Any shouting out answers or talking in general are forbidden under all circumstances and whoever was participating in that conversation will be kicked out, forbidden to enter again, and must watch through the sound-proof windows." Haruhi was thoroughly confused by this statement, but the girls didn't seem to be, because they oohed and aahed and whispered after this "sound-proof-glass' thing was mentioned. She looked around for someone, _anyone_, who didn't understand this but was greeted with the dreading fact that she would have to ask someone what this was at all.

_Lucky me, _she thought bitterly. _My chances of asking anybody and not being laughed at are 0-1000. _But a small voice in her head told her, _at least you still have a chance._

She told this voice to be quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh my gosh."

"I had no idea!"

"Are you going too?"

The excited voices of the girls echoed around Haruhi as she walked through the hallway. She was getting a lot of glances from the girls, which would result in excited whispers and giggles as they turned back to their friends.'

One girl actually shouted out, "I want to be with Haruhi!", but was immediately shushed by about twenty other girls. Haruhi shook her head. Apparently you weren't allowed to talk about who you would be matched up with (or who you _wanted _to be matched up with) until the final names were drawn. Haruhi thought that the 'Match-Ups' were kind of stupid, but she had practically been forced to agree with the rest of the Host Club.

The Match-Ups were a game that worked like this: anyone who wanted to enter would place their name in a hat, first _and_ last, because it seemed that every year, a girl would put only her first name on the slip, and about a dozen other girls with the same name would argue about who put their name in. In the end, nobody with that name would get chosen. Anyway, everyone would meet wherever the Match-Ups were said to be held. There the names would be drawn, and whoever got picked could choose who they wanted to be with. If you were chosen, you get one whole year to go to dances with that person as your date. Since it was Haruhi's first year, she had never been chosen before and was really worried about who she would get. Other boys had done Match-Ups before, and weren't successful at all. They had only succeeded in getting girls who had nothing better to do, never managing to get the people they actually had a crush on to come. The Host Club Match-Ups were a big deal.

"Hey, Haruhi!" The Hitachiin twins rushed up to her. "We heard that they are changing the Match-Ups this year!" Haruhi lit up.

"You mean they're not doing them?" She asked excitedly. The twins looked at each other, the burst out laughing.

"We-" Hikadu said through his laughter, "we...we said that they….they...were_ changing _the Match-Ups! Not...not...Hahahaa!" He doubled over, erupting into peals of laughter. Haruhi frowned at both of them as the people walking to their classes stared, confused.

"How are they changing them, then?" She asked impatiently. She was tapping her foot against the ground and frowning. Gulping for air, Kaoru stood up.

"They're-they're-" More laughter. Haruhi raised her eyebrow as the bell chimed around them.

"Gotta go," She turned and walked down the hall, not even caring that she wasn't able to figure out what they were changing. She realized her mistake suddenly. She had been acting like a _girl. _That wasn't her fault, though. They _made _her act like a boy all day, so it was impossible not for her to let her real personality slip through. This made her annoyance even more intense. _Why do they tell me to do what they want? Why do I obey? _She quickened her pace down the hall and lowered her head.. _Why do they _force _me to do what they want all the time?_ She was practically running now, thoughts flying through her head like a speeding train. _Why is my life a mess? Why do I _have _to do the Match-Ups? Why- _"Oof!" She stumbled back, dazed. Had she run into something? _Someone? _"S-sorry," she mumbled, backing up to get a better look at the figure. He was crouched over his stomach, groaning softly. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Ignoring her own pain she hurried over. "Are you okay!" He stood up rubbing his stomach.

"You have a hard head." He smiled and Haruhi blushed fiercely. She opened her mouth to apologize (for the third time) when he raised a hand and grinned sheepishly.

"No need to apologize," he said. "I'm fine." She opened her mouth again but he waved his hands in front of his face. "I'm fine! Really!" Haruhi mumbled anyway, "I should've looked where I was going." He cocked his head, studying her.

"What's your name?"

"Haruhi."

"Pretty name."

"Thanks. What's yours?"

"Salvador."

"Oh. Nice." She started down the hall, saying, "I've gotta get to class. . ." and at the same time he said "Sorry, but I'm gonna be late. . ." and they crashed into each other once more. Books and papers flew through the air. Haruhi slipped and landed. . . _smack! _right on top of Salvador, her face inches from his. Their noses were touching lightly. Haruhi's face became redder and redder and Salvadors eyes were growing huge.

"I-I-I-" Haruhi stuttered.

"Don't worry," Salvador told her. "I'm always tripping over my big feet." He picked himself up from under her and gathered his books ran a hand through his light brown hair in an attempt to flatten its stick-up ends."Well, better get to class." He winked one bright green eye and walked away, smiling. Haruhi smiled after his shrinking figure and to no one in particular she spoke through the empty halls.

"I hope we'll meet again."


	5. Chapter 5

Walking back to class, Haruhi smiled at herself. At least she hadn't done something totally embarrassing. Well beside the major _slip _up. But. . . that had been an accident, right? And he hadn't taken it totally for granted, right? As she trotted down to class, she realized that there was no point. She was going to be late, so what did it matter? She turned and proceeded down to the hall to her locker.

No one was around as she spun the golden combination lock. Haruhi thought back to her conversation with the Hitachiin twins. She had never figured out what they meant by 'changing the Match-Ups'. Haruhi had said the wrong thing and never got the answer from them.

Slamming her locker shut, she walked over to a velvet-cushioned bench and sat down to wait for the bell. She leaned back and allowed her thoughts to drift back to that morning. . .

O O O

"_Hey, dad." Haruhi grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl that always sat on their kitchen table._

"_Hi, honey. Beautiful day isn't it?" _

"_Yeah." Haruhi smiled sincerely at her father, then looked away. "It's time for me to go to school." She sounded sad._

"_What's wrong, honey? Don't you like your school?" Her dad cocked his head. "I thought you told me you had friends there. The Host Club?" He chose his words carefully, trying not to offend her. _

"_Yeah. . ." she sighed._

"_I think that they're positively charming. Any of them are perfect for you." He looked confused. "Why don't you want to go?" Haruhi looked at him from across the table then let her gaze slide slowly to the window, where the rising sun was gleaming, letting its gloring shine across the land. _

"_I. . . don't know," she said at last. Her father wouldn't understand, and even if she tried to tell, she wouldn't be able to do so without yelling and knocking a few things over. Her father rose from his chair and began bustling around, making himself another cup of tea. He was always preferring tea over coffee, saying it cleared the mind more than coffee, which just woke you up and didn't refresh you. _

"_It's your future isn't it?" His back was turned._

"_What?"_

"_Your future. You're upset that everyone is choosing your future for you."_

_How had he figured it out so easily? "Yeah. You're right. That is what I'm worried about." She let her sad gaze swivel in her father's direction. "I'm gonna pack a lunch. The school food is too good, and it feels artificial. I like our food better." _

"_Whatever you want."_

O O O

The bell rang.

Haruhi shot up like a bullet. _Time to meet the Host Club! _She hurried down the hall to the courtyard. People were milling about, talking and discussing the Host Club Match-Ups. She heard a few absentminded "Where's Haruhi?"'s and "Oh, no! No show, Haruhi?!"'s and the like. She jogged up to the platform where all the other Host Club members were smiling and waving at the ecstatic crowd.

"Glad you made it!" Tamaki shouted over the crowds rambunctious actions and noise. He looked her up and down. "Where's your outfit?" Realization hit her and she face-palmed dramatically.

"I totally forgot!" She suddenly covered her mouth. _I'm acting like a girl!_ "I'll go put it on." She bustled down the stairs and away.

A few minutes later, Haruhi was back on the stage in a gleaming suit of armour. She smiled at the crowd, though she didn't have her heart in her grin. Tamaki did what he had done earlier, he looked her up and down, taking her in. He opened his mouth to speak but someone beat him to it.

"You look really good, Haruhi!" Honey grinned adorably. "I like the color!" Haruhi's outfit was bright blue, while Honey had a luscious red.

"You look good too, Honey!" She said with identical enthusiasm.

"Shh!" Mori-senpai shushed them. "It's starting!" He was right, for Tamaki was grinning from ear to ear and clapping his hands together. Immediately the crowd fell silent.

"Welcome!" He spoke loudly. "To the Host Club's 11th annual Match-Ups!" The crowd roared in awe, and Haruhi suddenly noticed that it was almost all girls, with the exception of two or three boys scattered here and there, who were obviously some of the Host Club's friends and relatives. "I am glad to see such a marvelous crowd. Now, without further ado, let's get to it!" More cheering.

"The school actually lets you do this?" Haruhi couldn't help but ask Kyoya. He didn't look up from his notebook but gave her an answer nonetheless.

"Of course. Tamaki is a expert at asking permission."

"How can you be an expert at asking permission?"

"Ask Tamaki." She looked away, thinking _I am NOT going to ask Tamaki anything. _She turned her attention to Tamaki, however, because she had missed some of his speech in her haste to ask a question.

Tamaki finished saying something then, with a flourish, unveiled a velvet curtain that Haruhi hadn't noticed before. Sitting on the stage were seven orbs all filled equally with paper slips. They had each of the Host's names on them. Haruhi thought she had a fair amount of slips entered in it. Tamaki's orb, however, had quite a few more slips.

"I now will draw a slip from Kyoya's orb," he flashed a smile at the crowd. Kyoya actually had very few slips entered. Tamaki reached his hand into the ball then drew it out quickly, without a name. "Wait. Have all of you heard of the upgrade we have given to the hosts?" Many people in the crowd cocked their heads in confusion. "I'll take that as a no. Me and the other hosts have decided to allow each other choose yes or no to the slip drawn." The crowd booed. "Alright, alright. Calm down. I'll make sure that they don't reject too many of you ladies." He shot a glance at Kyoya, who was too absorbed in his notebook to notice. As the crowd cheered, Tamaki finally reached in and chose a slip. He was drawing his hand out of the orb when Kyoya spoke.

"No." Tamaki reached in again.

"No."

"No."

"No."

"NO." Tamaki pursed his lips. Then he breathed outward slowly.

"Okay," he said unhappily. "This one _is and WILL BE_-" He frowned at Kyoya (who didn't notice)"-the last one." He dramatically reached in, snatched up a slip, and read the name aloud.

"Hayashi Akia." A girl in the crowd screamed. Haruhi tracked down the source of the sound and found a pretty girl hugging her friends and jumping up and down. She then left them and headed for the stage.


End file.
